Book review: The Other Girl by Erica Spindler

*I would like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Have you ever started reading a book and within the first chapter thought to yourself, “I will never finish this book”? For a split moment, I thought The Other Girl was going to be that book for me. But, thankfully, I pressed on. So don’t let the first chapter fool you!

The novel opens with the narrator, Miranda, hitching a ride from a stranger. What got me at this point was the narration style. The narrator is a teenage girl whose vernacular is difficult to read on paper. It was meant to portray the level of education the girl had received while at the same time showing that she was part of a rural community. I get that. But it came across as almost insulting. Like the author was dumbing down the character for us to show the contrast and growth the narrator makes as an adult. But I digress (remember, I liked this book!) Anywho, Miranda’s lift turns into a nightmare when she and the female passenger are drugged by the driver of the car and they both awake in the woods, bound, the driver nowhere to be seen. Miranda manages to escape the situation, but is unable to save the other girl, and promises she will find help. Unfortunately, this seems to be analogous to the boy who cried wolf in the town, and instead of saving the girl, the town comes to believe she made the entire event up. Fast forward, and she is now a cop (and has an educated writing style!). The murder she is investigating begins turning up clues to that night with the other girl and she is driven to seek answers, even if it means investigating the most powerful family in town.

This was my first Spindler book, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into it. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, I will not turn down the opportunity to read her books in the future. The Other Girl was a fast-passed read that had me finishing the book over the course of just a couple sit-downs. All of the clues are nicely laid out, to the point that I was able to solve the mystery along-side the characters. I didn’t become particularly attached to any of the characters, but the action ad grotesque nature of the crime kept me going. When all is said and done, it was fun and a perfect read to fill my time.